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Panchtantra, is a collection of five volumes of stories written by a teacher to help instruct the different aspects of kinghood for princes. The collection of stories in Pancha Tantra are a real treat for parents to help them in guiding them towards values in human life. Every story in Pancha Tantra is accompanied by a moral.

The background story of Panchtantra is :

Long ago in the kingdom of Mahilaropya, there lived a king who was ruling very ideally. He had three sons, who were not intelligent. The king was worried about the heir to the throne, as he knew that his sons were incapable of governing. He was desperate to find a good and knowleagable teacher for his sons who would teach them the scriptures and make them knowledgeable in a short time. His minister then pointed towards a skilled pundit, Vishnu Sharman. Vishnu sharman was old and the king was worried as to how the teacher could accomplish the teaching to his sons as he told that even an intelligent man takes more than twelve years to grasp all the elements of scriptures. Then Vishnu Sharman convinced the king that he would teach the princes about kingly conduct through a series of stories, which would be more effective than the scriptures. Thus Vishnu Sharman compiled the collection in five volumes termed as Panchtantra meant to serve as the guide for the princes to learn about kingly behaviour. Since then, Panchtantra became popular all over the world as children's guide in solving problems of life.

Panchtantra is written in five volumes:

• The Loss of Friends • The winning of friends • Crows and Owls • Loss of Gains • considered action

Second Strategy: Gaining Friends
This is the second strategy of Panchtantra known as Gaining Friends. These are stories that figure in a dialogue between four friends named Laghupatanaka (the crow), Hiranyaka (the rat), Mandharaka(the turtle) and Chitranga(the deer). These are stories that they tell to one another on the value of friendship. The moral of these stories are that one should not try to cheat friends. He who is faithful to his friends shall never taste defeat.

Third Strategy: Of Crows and Owls
This is the story of how the crows burnt the home of a trusting pack of owls. The stories are series of conversations among ministers of crows and owls. Most of the stories are told by the wisest and senior most counsel, Sthirajeevi of the king of crows Meghavarna. The moral of these stories are that trust not even a close friend who earlier was your enemy.